A single piece of paper

Trembling fingers unfold
a single piece of paper,
I try to make sense of the letters
as they dance in slow-motion through my tears,
it was I wrote the note mere hours ago
but now the message eludes me;
the docile congregation yawns
like Noah’s whale,
now there’s a tale I could tell,
if only…
a happily-ever-after,
if only…
pretty pink elephant dreams,
if only…
roller-skating down the sidewalk on Christmas morning,
if only…
unafraid to sing off-key,
if only…
a smile, getting dimmer and dimmer and dimmer,
if only…

– K Poleet

“Life is no brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” – George Bernard Shaw